[timble]

Went to an independent "baby stuff" retailer at the weekend. Talked through things with the manager and tried stuff in the car, and this is what we've put a deposit down for:

- Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix seat and EasyFix base: seems to fit ok in the back (front seat not *too* far forward or upright), compatible with Bugaboo/Quinny and can also go in the front with the airbag switched off.

- Bugaboo Cameleon: We were going to go with the Zapp for travel and then a bigger pushchair for the rest of the time, but, bearing in mind this is our first child so we don't currently have any of the usual baby "kit", the Cameleon covers so many bases. It:

• works with the CabrioFix,
• fits in the boot of our MCSC,
• comes with a cot-style attachment which can be used as a pram fitting on the Cameleon, a Moses basket (with wooden stand) and a travel cot,
• has storage underneath for shopping etc
• the normal "seat" that it comes with it allows for backward facing mode and loads of other permutations (and looks a whole lot more comfy compared to the Zapp), and
• it even has a two-wheel "beach mode"!

The Cameleon *does* require the parcel shelf to be in the upper position for it to fit in the boot (and you have to remove the big wheels, although that's v. easily done), but then it's kinda upright and so you can stuff things between it and the back of the boot. Also, the wife's kinda averse to the idea of having the top down when the baby's in the car anyway, so no real need for the shelf to be in the lower position.

The only major negative is the total price -- the Bugaboo's not cheap and even though there's now only one pushchair not two to buy (travel and "normal"), it's *still* more expensive a setup! Savings on buying a moses basket and stand and a travel cot though, I guess...

Anyhew, just thought I'd share my findings with the community! The little fella's not due until August so I guess I'll report back some time in September as to whether this combo proves successful!

[SalemMINIDriver]

Have you tried to fit the Chameleon into your boot? We have a Frog and it does not fit into our MCS hatch, even with the wheels removed. It MIGHT fit with the other half of the seat folded down, but this would leave room for nothing else. Does the Chameleon have a telescoping handlebar? The Frog does not, and probably would fit neatly into our boot if it did.

Great stroller, but not MINI-friendly.

Chris

[timble]

Yep -- it has a telescopic handlebar and fits in on it's "side" i.e. with the "face" of the pushchair up against the back of the back seat (if that makes any sense?!).

That's in a convertible with the parcel shelf in the upper position, though. I used to have a tin top but can't remember whether the shelf's lower than in the convertible or not. In the limit I guess you can remove the shelf, though...

http://www.strollandgo.com/stroller/...leon_26_SF.jpg

[Rogier]

I suppose you've been using it for a while now. Are you still satisfied with this arrangement?

Cheers,
Rogier

[timble]

No -- the little one's not due to make an appearance for another 4 weeks or so yet (which gives me just enough time to work out how to use it all / read the numerous weighty manuals that it comes with!). I'll report back when we've been up and running with it for a while...

In the meantime, is there anyone else out there who's used the Cameleon / Cabrio car seat combo. with a MINI who can report any findings?

[Rakey]

have you looked at the new carseat base from Maxi-cosi?

that might make things a little easier for you

Look forward to your reports on using this product

[timble]

Yes -- we've managed to get our hands on one of the new EasyFix (IsoFix) bases for the CabrioFix seat. Tried fitting it and, yes, I think it will make installing the seat in the back of the car a whole lot easier!

I do have a related question that I have an inkling you might have an opinion on though, Rakey :

My wife reckons we should secure the base using BOTH the IsoFix fittings AND the seatbelt (as a -- erm, excuse the pun -- "belt and braces" precautionary measure), but using the seatbelt as well obviously increases the faff factor! Wasn't IsoFix introduced as a "better" solution that using the seatbelt? In which case isn't just using the IsoFix fittings more than sufficient?

[Tinkerbell]

I'm soon to be joining the MINI & baby club . Desperate to keep my MINI (03) I'm currently thinking about the Bugaboo Cameleon and a maxi-cosi seat. I don't have the option to self-disable the front passenger airbag so in all probability will try to work with the back seat. I'm not concerned about being able to use a car seat with a pram - I'm more focused on having a car seat to fit safely and securely in the car .

Is the Cameleon the only pushchair to fit in the boot? Or are there other brands/models I should be considering?

I'm bewildered and welcome any input.

Thanks

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by timble

Yes -- we've managed to get our hands on one of the new EasyFix (IsoFix) bases for the CabrioFix seat. Tried fitting it and, yes, I think it will make installing the seat in the back of the car a whole lot easier!

I do have a related question that I have an inkling you might have an opinion on though, Rakey :

My wife reckons we should secure the base using BOTH the IsoFix fittings AND the seatbelt (as a -- erm, excuse the pun -- "belt and braces" precautionary measure), but using the seatbelt as well obviously increases the faff factor! Wasn't IsoFix introduced as a "better" solution that using the seatbelt? In which case isn't just using the IsoFix fittings more than sufficient?

its one or the other, thats all that is needed

Isofix been the better of the two options as it is easier and less likely to fitted wrong

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tinkerbell

I'm soon to be joining the MINI & baby club . Desperate to keep my MINI (03) I'm currently thinking about the Bugaboo Cameleon and a maxi-cosi seat. I don't have the option to self-disable the front passenger airbag so in all probability will try to work with the back seat. I'm not concerned about being able to use a car seat with a pram - I'm more focused on having a car seat to fit safely and securely in the car .

Is the Cameleon the only pushchair to fit in the boot? Or are there other brands/models I should be considering?

I'm bewildered and welcome any input.

Thanks

there are lots of others that fit, and are discussed in the other threads in this section

there is no reason to get rid of the MINI, and the rear of a car is the safest place for the baby anyway, as its less distracting and a higher % on impact occur on the front area of cars than the rear.

[electricdave]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tinkerbell

I'm soon to be joining the MINI & baby club . Desperate to keep my MINI (03) I'm currently thinking about the Bugaboo Cameleon and a maxi-cosi seat.

Me too! I'm in exactly the same position as you, and I'll be following this thread with interest.
Hopefully going to try a Cameleon out soon re fitting in the boot (of a tintop Cooper). If and when I do, I'll report my findings!

[Tinkerbell]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rakey

there are lots of others that fit, and are discussed in the other threads in this section

there is no reason to get rid of the MINI, and the rear of a car is the safest place for the baby anyway, as its less distracting and a higher % on impact occur on the front area of cars than the rear.

Thanks Rakey

Good point about the safest place being the rear of the car, now I think about it, it seems sort of obvious.

Sorry for hijacking this thread though ... I'll be reading with interest

[timble]

Right...

Little William was born four weeks ago and so we've now been using all the kit for long enough to form an opinion on it... and the verdict is... IT'S GREAT!

The CabrioFix and EasyFix (base) combination is fantastic -- the (0+) CabrioFix seat *just* fits through the gap between the back of the (pushed forward) front seat and the side panel of the car and the (i.e. the accessway to the back seats) and then it's just a case of lowering the seat on the base and giving it a gentle wiggle until the green "light" appears. You should be able to do all of this without setting foot in the car -- *so* much simpler then having to try to climb in the back of the car with the seat and faff around with a seatbelt.

The front seat then needs to sit quite far forward, unfortunately, but we did a (just under) 2 hour trip the other day and the wife didn't seem to get too grumpy about the space (in fact she fell asleep for half of the journey so it couldn't have been that unconfortable!).

As for the Cameleon, with the parcel shelf in the "winter" position (I have a MCSC) it fits just fine as I described in a previous post in this thread. You realistically need to take the larger wheels off (or ditch the parcel shelf!) but they're really easy to remove and reattach -- just one clip to squeeze on each wheel.

Now, I know Rakey will have a strong opinion on this (!!) but we also, for our longer journey, took the Cameleon Cot attachment along (as a travel cot / moses basket solution). We dropped the spare back seat's back and fed it through the hole and partially into the boot -- it fits snuggly into the gap leaving very little room for movement. We could still fit the frame of the pushchair in the boot by being clever with the space, and then we dropped a couple of small holdalls into the body of the cot -- checking that they we secure and not able to fall out -- and hey presto: everything needed for a long weekend away was in the car!

So, all in all, very happy with the set-up and would certainly recommend it. The only slight gripe we have is that you need a couple of adapters to fit the CabroFix seat onto the Bugaboo frame. You can't leave them attached to the Bugaboo as it won't fold down with them on, and the CabrioFix doesn't fit onto the base if they're left on the car seat, so they have to be removed and carried separately... and if you're not careful you can forget to take them with you on your journey! Beware!

[Pauline]

Thanks for posting that Timble!

I've gone for exactly the same car seat and pram as you, so it's interesting to hear someone's real-life views

[Tinkerbell]

Quote: Originally Posted by timble (original)

Right...

Little William was born four weeks ago and so we've now been using all the kit for long enough to form an opinion on it... and the verdict is... IT'S GREAT!

The CabrioFix and EasyFix (base) combination is fantastic -- the (0+) CabrioFix seat *just* fits through the gap between the back of the (pushed forward) front seat and the side panel of the car and the (i.e. the accessway to the back seats) and then it's just a case of lowering the seat on the base and giving it a gentle wiggle until the green "light" appears. You should be able to do all of this without setting foot in the car -- *so* much simpler then having to try to climb in the back of the car with the seat and faff around with a seatbelt.

The front seat then needs to sit quite far forward, unfortunately, but we did a (just under) 2 hour trip the other day and the wife didn't seem to get too grumpy about the space (in fact she fell asleep for half of the journey so it couldn't have been that unconfortable!).

As for the Cameleon, with the parcel shelf in the "winter" position (I have a MCSC) it fits just fine as I described in a previous post in this thread. You realistically need to take the larger wheels off (or ditch the parcel shelf!) but they're really easy to remove and reattach -- just one clip to squeeze on each wheel.

Now, I know Rakey will have a strong opinion on this (!!) but we also, for our longer journey, took the Cameleon Cot attachment along (as a travel cot / moses basket solution). We dropped the spare back seat's back and fed it through the hole and partially into the boot -- it fits snuggly into the gap leaving very little room for movement. We could still fit the frame of the pushchair in the boot by being clever with the space, and then we dropped a couple of small holdalls into the body of the cot -- checking that they we secure and not able to fall out -- and hey presto: everything needed for a long weekend away was in the car!

So, all in all, very happy with the set-up and would certainly recommend it. The only slight gripe we have is that you need a couple of adapters to fit the CabroFix seat onto the Bugaboo frame. You can't leave them attached to the Bugaboo as it won't fold down with them on, and the CabrioFix doesn't fit onto the base if they're left on the car seat, so they have to be removed and carried separately... and if you're not careful you can forget to take them with you on your journey! Beware!

Congratulations on the birth of William Thanks for the write-up on the Cameleon and Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix - I've decided to opt for the same combination so it's good to hear your experience so far.

[Rakey]

great write up, appreciate it

How about some pics?

Oh and I'm pretending I didn't see the thing about the stuff in the back of the car

[Rogier]

Quote: Originally Posted by electricdave (original)

Me too! I'm in exactly the same position as you, and I'll be following this thread with interest.
Hopefully going to try a Cameleon out soon re fitting in the boot (of a tintop Cooper). If and when I do, I'll report my findings!

Any updates? What did you choose in the end? Were you satisfied? Can you still effectively use the passenger seat?

[electricdave]

Yes, well, our baby girl Emma is four weeks old now, and this is the first chance I've had to check this thread since, so now is a good time to report our findings!

We went for the Cameleon / CabrioFix combination in the end, with the additional EasyFix ISOFIX base. So far, we absolutely love it! I can confirm that, on our tintop Cooper, the carseat does indeed fit nicely through the gap between the back of the passenger seat and the door frame, as long as the seat is pulled a fair way forward. Once you get the hang of it, the carseat clunks nicely into the base, settling firmly and easily into position with a minimum of fuss. Emma seems pretty happy with it, and the passenger seat is perfectly usable afterwards, as long as your partner is not a pro basketball player.

The folded Cameleon chassis sits nicely in the boot, but you do need to remove the parcel shelf and one of the large wheels so that the tailgate closes. However, as Timble states, this takes a couple of seconds to do with one hand, the Cameleon is such a well-designed and conceived bit of kit. It's even possible to stash a few Tesco bags in the space in and around the chassis once it's in there too. Timble also makes a good point about the MaxiCosi adaptors for the Cameleon.... they are quite easy to lose track of! We try and make sure that we always store them in the boot or in the carseat itself when it's not in use.

So on our outings thus far, I've been driving, with Kelly (who can't drive for another two weeks because of her Caesarean) in the seat behind me keeping an eye on Emma, who's in the carseat behind the passenger seat. Bugaboo goes in the boot, shopping in the remainder of the boot and in the passenger footwell. Very, very happy indeed with all the kit, it works very well. Not sure how easy it's gonna be lifting Emma in and out in her carseat when she puts a bit more weight on, tho.... she's only 8lb at the mo!

(As a little postscript, by far the most impressive bit of baby transport gear we've found so far, that makes it much more bearable having a small car, is the Baby Bjorn Active carrier. Just chuck that in the boot when you go out shopping, you don't even need the Cameleon chassis! We just park up, leave the carseat in its base, pop Emma in the Bjorn and she's happy as Larry. Highly recommended.)

[Pauline]

Congratulations on your little girl Dave! I've only just remembered this thread too - I had a little girl also three weeks ago.

I haven't been brave enough to get all of the kit in to the Mini just yet and have been using my husband's Accord since she arrived. In fact, I have no idea how I would get everything in, especially seeing as the changing bag that comes everywhere with us is about 5 times the weight and size of the baby!!

But good to know the Cameleon and Maxi Cosi seat are working for you. I'll give it a go myself soon.

[Rakey]

ok you bugaboo owners, I know its a great item, but can you tell me one answer to the following questions:

1. Why did you choose it seeing as its one of the most expensive buggies on the market?

2. What is the best feature of it?

3. If you could improve it by changing one thing, what would you ask for?